If, suddenly, Erap decides to keep silent and not defend himself in protest against an unfair judicial process, I would think the system would really break down. If he says he won’t play the game, explain himself, question the witnesses or dispute the evidence against him, we would be unable to judge him. We would … Read more
The first time it happened in 1986, we stood in total awe of its amazing qualities – its swiftness, its passion, its strength and its restraint. We did not think it was possible for a people that had stood so helplessly before a dictator for 14 years to summon enough will and grace to free … Read more
Many people argue against taking a constitutional and principled approach to the problem of the Abu Sayyaf because we need to be practical and realistic. They justify accepting American military assistance to crush this terrorist group on this basis. Is this a practical and realistic option? I submit that it is not. After nine months … Read more
The 1987 Constitution is clear enough on the matter: After the expiration of the RP-US Military Bases Agreement in 1991, no foreign military bases, troops, or facilities shall be allowed in the Philippines except under a treaty. On September 16, 1991, the Philippine Senate rejected a new treaty that sought to extend the stay of … Read more
By “terrorist talk”, I mean absolutist talk like President George Bush’s “Either you are with us or you are with the terrorists.” Such talk does not allow any room for alternative viewpoints. Its speaker has seen the “truth,” therefore any other view must be false or evil. What President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo said the other day … Read more
In its simplest sense, terrorism is the use of fear to force an individual or a community to act in a way contrary to reason. It is the opposite of debate, argument, or persuasion. You cannot argue with a terrorist. He is not interested in dialogue or discussion. His mind is closed. He feels superior … Read more
From day one since Sept. 11, 2001, America has waged a campaign to make other nations see the world with American eyes, feel its pain as humanity’s collective distress, and view the future through the prism of America’s quest for justice. And the effort has been successful. Today hardly anyone can voice a reservation about … Read more
Edsa II was the culmination of a movement to restore accountability and idealism in government. Its constituents were the young, the middle class, and the educated who refused to be led any further by an inept, corrupt, and archaic president. While its actions were political, it rode on the wave of a general contempt for … Read more
Who’s afraid of coups? People who invoke the law to defend privilege, those who justify power by pointing at institutions, and those who oppose all change except that which they can manage. They are afraid of coups. But those who measure their rights by the norms of substantive justice, those who affirm their power by … Read more
A trip to Baguio on any long holiday break would persuade any visitor of the paucity of leisure in our society. This city on a hill originally founded by Americans for the rest and recreation of colonial bureaucrats has become simply too small and too lacking in facilities to accommodate Filipino families in search of … Read more